Report: Hartford Favorite To Get A 'New Old' Big East Tournament

UConn And Others Could Play Men's Basketball Tournament In Hartford Next March

As the two sides of the splitting Big East Conference negotiate the final stages of a separation, the conference that UConn will call home could be eyeing Hartford as the site for its postseason tournament.

Former Boston Globe college sports reporter Mark Blaudschun reported Monday night on his blog, ajerseyguy.com, that Big East officials are "seriously considering choosing Hartford as the site of the first New/Old Big East postseason conference basketball tournament."

The conference will have a new name, as the seven Catholic basketball schools are negotiating an agreement to break away this summer and take the Big East name. Citing sources familiar with the discussions, Blaudschun reports that a framework of an agreement has been reached, and an announcement of the separation could come Wednesday or Thursday.

The departing schools are also expected to inherit the postseason tournament contract with Madison Square Garden, leaving the old Big East searching for a site. Blaudschun reports that the tournament could be rotated among multiple sites, with Hartford's XL Center hosting the first tournament next year.

Global Spectrum will take over management of the XL Center later this year. The company was awarded the contract by the Capital Region Development Authority last month. Frank Russo, Global's Connecticut-based business development chief, said Monday night he has not been in contact with the Big East.

"While this would be very desirable and is something we plan to discuss with UConn, we have heard no such rumor," Russo said in an email to The Courant.

UConn athletic director Warde Manuel told The Courant last week that he planned to meet with Russo in the coming weeks to discuss the school's contract with the XL Center. The contract expires this year.

Blaudschun also reported on his blog that the seven departing Big East schools will leave money behind as part of the exit negotiations. The conference will be left with a pool of revenue from exit fees and NCAA basketball tournament money that could exceed $100 million. The conference's three remaining schools — UConn, Cincinnati and South Florida — could be paid between $20 million and $25 million, according to the blog.

The financial boost, whatever the amount, will help UConn offset the loss of TV revenue. The conference has cut a new deal with ESPN that will pay members just under $2 million per year, which will be about $1 million to $2 million less than what UConn and other members earned from the last TV deal.

The announcement of the departure by Providence College, Villanova, Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall and St. John's was reportedly set to happen Tuesday. Fox Sports is announcing the creation of an all-sports network, and the company is set to sign the new Big East, so the conference was expected to be unveiled at the Manhattan press conference.

But the league unveiling is unlikely at the Fox Sports news conference, a league source told The Courant on Monday.